Have Faith (In Me)
by FairyLights101
Summary: When Eren can't be found after a battle, Erwin stays behind to deal with the troops as Levi goes out to search, both clinging to the hope that Eren is still safe. Still alive.


**Day 1 of Eruriren Week: Faith  
It's only hella late. This can be found on AO3 as well.**

* * *

"Erwin, where's Eren?"

The Commander glanced up, the weariness and weight of so many deaths instantly disappearing from his shoulders and eyes as he stared at Levi. "Is he not with Mikasa and Jean?"

Levi couldn't blame Erwin for not knowing where their young lover was, not when they were racing time to collect all the death before more Titan's appeared. The time after battles was always hectic, especially for the Commander, weighed with the burden of organizing the ragged, bloody troops of the Scouting Legion enough so that they could form a somewhat dignified if hasty retreat to safety. Even so, he couldn't help the surge of anger, though it was immediately followed by a heavy wave of guilt. _He's got enough to worry about already. He can't split himself in five and focus on the troops, me, Eren, Titans, and fuck knows what else._ "No, that was the first place I checked. He's not among the dead or injured. No one's seen that idiot Titan Shifter, not since he left his Titan form."

Erwin's eyes widened and his hands clenched, but those were the only outward signs that gave away the fear and worry that was doubtlessly building for the young man they both adored. "Get a search team. Take your squad. Make sure everyone has fresh cannisters and blades. We need to find him, but if you don't spot him by sundown… Come back. Humanity cannot lose him."

We _can't lose him._It must have hurt to say those words, to admit the possibility that Eren could be dead. _No. He's not dead. He's a resilient little shit. Have faith in him_.

Levi wheeled his horse around and charged of, back to where his squad waited impatiently, gas cannisters already refilled and new blades resting in their slots. He fired orders off rapidly as he resupplied, sparing them split-second glances. "Mikasa, Jean, you're with me. Armin, Sasha, Connie, you head out the other direction. Ymir, Christa, stay here and keep an eye peeled for that dumbass. If you spot him, shoot a purple flare. Titans, red. We head back when I fire a yellow flare, with or without him."

Mikasa scowled at the last comment, and she wasn't the only one, but they all nodded. Too many Titans and they would have to retreat. If night started to fall, they would have no choice but to turn back - maneuvering in the darkness was a sure-fire way to get someone killed, even if the Titans usually weren't active at night. _We have to find that damn brat._

Reins snapped as their horses lurched forward, the two groups peeling off into different directions as they entered the forest. All around were signs of carnage: severed fingers larger than a horse; fallen, decomposing corpses steaming gently as they slowly disappeared; shattered pieces of gear strewn across the floor of the forest; horses crushed by massive feet or killed instantly from impacts with trees.

After so many years, every battlefield started t look the same, or at least they resembled a good portion of other fields. The only thing that truly changed were the soldiers by his sides. Though, he had been lucky - the newest incarnation of the Special Operations Squad had lasted well over a year, each member improving every single day. But now one of their members was threatened. Likely dead. _No. He's alive. That damn brat is alive. He has to be. If not for himself, then for Erwin and me._

He, Jean, and Mikasa rode hard for nearly an hour, eyes scanning the canopy above and the land around them for Eren - and Titans - before they pulled up. Levi twisted to look at the two soldiers behind him, their faces hard with determination. "Jean, you go left. Mikasa, head right. We'll leave the horses here. Meet back up in approximately three hours. Don't forget about the flares." They nodded and vaulted off their horses, gear sending them hurtling up into the trees in one smooth, practiced motion.

Levi followed in suit, wind whipping at his hair and cloak as he soared up in an easy arc. He couldn't relish it, not when a comrade, a _lover_ was lost on the battlefield. Especially since Eren was so damn important, and not just to humanity. Boot-clad feet slammed against a branch and pushed off, propelling him forward as his jaws tightened and the gear whirred. "God damn it, Eren…!" _Have faith in him. Have faith. He's fine. He's fine._

Silver eyes raked across his surroundings, scanning for a tall brunette, a cloak, _something_. Again and again he looked, straining to see through the gloom broken up by random patches and spots of sunlight. He was holding on to hope, but it grew ever harder to cling to it with every minute that passed, with every flash of green that turned out to just be leaves caught in the wind or a patch of brown that was just a piece of bark fraying from a tree trunk.

And then he saw it, the small figure on the ground, their arms waving frantically. They stood out in the gloom with their white clothes criss crossed by dark straps - unmistakably a harness. Levi's clamps released and he started a freefall to the ground, stopping at the last second. His feet slapped the ground. Instantly, lanky, warm arms locked around his chest as a face buried into his neck, dragging in a breathe before Eren jerked back, relief plastered across his face. "Levi! Holy shit, I thought I was gonna have to walk the whole way back! I-"

Levi's mouth slammed over Eren's, rough and desperate. Pale fingers tangled through that wild brown hair, pressing the grips of his gear against Eren's skull. He didn't bother to hold back, didn't try to cage in the weakness that made him press close and savagely bite at Eren's mouth. The Corporal jerked back after a minute, fighting the urge to smile or kiss Eren again as he forced a familiar scowl on his face.

"You son of a bitch. Where's your gear? your horse? Why the fuck didn't you shift again and find us instead of walking? I'm sure Erwin is going fucking nuts right now." _I was too_. That went unsaid. It never had to be spoken. Eren and Erwin knew him well enough that they knew what he could never quite voice or put into words, particularly when his crass language failed him.

That smile Eren wore vanished instantly as his shoulders slumped and face fell. "I'm sorry… I was doing fine until a Titan crushed my gear and my legs just finished healing a little while ago. I kept passing out… Probably had a concussion too. I would have shifted, but I doubt it would've gone well when I was so exhausted. Especially after I bashed my head."

Silver orbs swept over Eren once more, taking in everything he had missed the first time: the dirt smear, practically ingrained really, into his cheeks; the leaves and grass caught in his hair; the blood smeared across his uniform; the jagged holes in his pants, one at his knee, the other mid-shin, both surrounded by dark splotches of blood and steaming gently, the skin slowly reknitting. A cool hand cupped Eren's cheek. "Are you alright?"

White teeth flashed as Eren grinned. "Much better. Though I'll be even better when I see my friends… and our commander."

"Fuck you, you're getting blueballed for a month."

"_Levi_!"

The Corporal ignored Eren as he whipped out the flare gun, loaded a cannister with a purple band, and fired. It shot through the canopy and exploded, sending out a cloud of purple so obvious that even a Titan could have understood the gist of it: _hey, fresh humans right here_. It didn't take long for the five members of his squad to arrive, all but Mikasa on horseback, Jean leading her horse through the trees as well as Levi's. "Eren!" Armin and Mikasa tackled Eren, their heads pressing close together, gear bumping and banging as they pressed close. "Don't you ever do that again! I thought… We thought…"

"Mikasa, calm down. Beat him up later. We have to get back before any more Titans appear."

_Good thing Armin is the voice of reason here_. "Mount up. Eren, you're with me. Don't push the horses too hard. We've got a long ride ahead of us."

It took them a few minutes to get situated - Eren was so exhausted that he could barely mount the horse. Adrenaline and sheer idiocy had kept him going for as long as he had, but now he had been found, he had clearly let it all swamp him. His head rested between Levi's shoulder blades, hands limply hooked around his waist. _You idiot… I'm glad you're safe._

* * *

They curled closer beneath the sheets, naked bodies tangled together in a mess of limbs - and a stump in Erwin's case when he didn't wear his prosthetic. Hands were comfortably intertwined, his and Eren's atop his waist while Eren's and Erwin's were laced together above Levi's head. He didn't mind not holding Erwin's only hand, especially not when they'd gotten their brat back, safe and sound. "Eren, how are your legs?"

The brunette shrugged, the movement jostling Levi slightly. He didn't even bother to complain. It was far too soon for that. "They're fine. Stopped hurting a while ago. I guess after I fell asleep against Levi. I dunno."

Erwin nodded, his chin dipping against the crown of Levi's head. They both stared at their young lover, his face soft with exhaustion and bliss, eyes half-shut and sinking a little bit more with every second that passed. His mouth split open in a massive yawn, one that forced a yawn from the other two males. "Don't yawn…" Levi murmured as he squeezed Eren's hand, "'s irritating."

"Sorry… can't really help it… I'm so tired. Thought you were gonna blueball me for a month…?"

"Oh shut up and go to sleep."

"Do as he says. You need it Eren. You've had a long few days."

Those beautiful turquoise eyes fell shut almost immediately, no need to be urged any longer. Hell, they could have mortared his eyelids open and they still would have found a way to close. His breathing evened out quickly, the way it always did after Eren had multiple transformations in a short period of time. It was taxing work, none could deny that. Even so, Eren never complained. "I'm glad you found him… I don't know what we'd do without him."

"Have less sex?"

The chest he was pressed against shook with silent laughter as soft lips brushed across his temple. "Yes, though that wasn't quite what I was aiming for."

"I know. I don't know either." He felt Erwin's arm tighten, his fingers doubtlessly gently squeezing Eren's hand. They both had such a need for physical contact with him, to touch his hair or hold his hand or just be wrapped up in a stifling hug by the ever-growing teen. That need had only doubled with the scare from the day before. And Eren, the shitty brat that he was, relished in every second of it.

"I never thought it would be so easy to love someone as much as I love the both of you."

"... I can't even call you a sap, dammit."

"You feel the same, don't you?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

"Not really. I just wanted to."

"Weirdo."

"A weirdo you love."

"Ah yes, a weirdo and a bloody Titan Shifter for lovers. My mother would be so proud."

"I think she would be."

Both froze as Eren shifted slightly, mouth parting slightly. Their whispered conversation dropped away as they watched the young brunette sleep peacefully, drenched in the moonlight streaming through the open window. It was peaceful, a rare thing in their ugly, cruel, beautiful world. One full of man-eating monsters who weighed next to nothing and corrupted government officials and soldiers and lands of frozen water, limitless bodies of water, and so much more. _One day we'll see the furthest reaches of this world. Together. All three of us. We'll go alone, just the three of us. We'll go to these lands of fire and ice, to the "sea", to the "desert". Together_.

"Mmm… goodnight, Levi…"

"Night, Erwin."

_Yeah… And no one can fucking stop us. Not the Titans. Not the damn government. No one. If I can have faith in finding Eren despite the odds, in Erwin leading despite having one arm, then I can have fucking faith in this. That's a fact_.


End file.
